This invention relates to the transportation of solid commodities in vehicles, and more particularly to unloading mechanisms for railroad hopper cars.
The discharge of commodities from railroad cars having outlet hoppers is frequently controlled by valves. When a car is loaded, the valves are closed to prevent loss or damage to the commodity during transit. These valves are opened and closed by an operating mechanism that is subject to vibration and inertial forces as the car stops, starts, and moves along the rails. This can result in jarring of the operating mechanism sufficiently to open a valve and cause damage to or loss of the commodity.
The commodity outlet openings are usually sealed by a removable cap. To prevent loss of such a cap, it sometimes remains connected to a hopper even after it has been removed from the outlet opening. However, these attached caps can cause damage or injury, and can themselves be damaged, when movement of the car occurs while the caps are in their open position.